The National Gallery ( el, Εθνική Πινακοθήκη, ''Ethniki Pinakothiki'') is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily con ...

located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in the

Pangrati Pangrati or Pagrati ( el, Παγκράτι) is a neighborhood in Central Athens, Greece, having an estimated population of 35,173 residents. Named after the ancient sanctuary of Hercules Pancrates ("All Powerful"), its frontage runs from Vasi ...

district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century to the 20th century. The newly renovated building reopened after an 8 year refurbishment, on 24 March 2021, a day before the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence.

History

It was established in 1878 as a small collection of 117 works exhibited at the

Athens University The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

. In 1896, Alexandros Soutzos, a jurist and art lover, bequeathed his collection and estate to the

Greek Government Greece is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the President of Greece is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government within a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the go ...

aspiring to the creation of an art museum. The museum opened in 1900 and the first curator was

Georgios Jakobides Georgios Jakobides (Γεώργιος Ιακωβίδης; 11 January 1853 – 13 December 1932) was a painter and one of the main representatives of the Greek artistic movement of the Munich School. He founded and was the first curator of the Nati ...

, a famous Greek painter who was a member of the

Munich School Munich School ( el, Σχολή του Μονάχου) is the name given to a group of painters who worked in Munich or were trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich (german: Münchner Akademie der Bildenden Künste) between 1850 and 191 ...

artistic movement. After World War II the works began for a new building. After relocating the sculptures in the new National Glyptotheque, there is a discussion to renovate the main building and to build a new wing.

Directors

* Georgios Iakovidis (1900-1918) *

Zacharias Papantoniou Zacharias Papantoniou ( el, Ζαχαρίας Παπαντωνίου, ''Zacharias Papandoniou'') was a Greek writer. He was born in Karpenissi of Evrytania in February 1877 and died in Athens in 1940. He spent the first years of his life in Granit ...

(1918-1940) * Georgios Stratigos (1940-1944) * Dimitrios Evangelidis (1945-1947) * Nikolaos Bertos (1947-1949) * Marinos Kalligas (1949-1971) * Andreas Ioannou (1971-1972) * Dimitris Papastamos (1972-1989) * Maria Michaelidou (1990-1991) * Marina Lampraki-Plaka (1992-2022) * Syrago Tsiara (2022- present)

Collections

The gallery exhibitions are mainly focused on post-Byzantine

Greek Art Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan civilization, and gave birth to Western classical art in the subsequent Geometric, Archaic and Classical periods (with further developments during the Hellenistic Period). It absorbed influences of E ...

. The gallery owns and exhibits also an extensive collection of European artists. Particularly valuable is the collection of paintings from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

Renaissance

Joachim Beuckelaer Joachim Beuckelaer (c. 1533 – c. 1570/4) was a Flemish painter specialising in market and kitchen scenes with elaborate displays of food and household equipment. He also painted still lifes with no figures in the central scene.

''Market Scene'' *

Jan Brueghel the Younger Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger (, ; ; 13 September 1601 – 1 September 1678) was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both prominent painters who ...

''The Virgin in Paradise'' *

Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collabora ...

* Dürer * El Greco ''The Concert of the Angels'', ''Christ on the Cross with the Two Maries and St John'', ''Saint Peter'' *

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Earl ...

''Esther and Ahasuerus'' * Jacob Jordaens ''The Adoration of the Shepherds'' *

Zanino di Pietro This is a list of rural localities in Vologda Oblast. Vologda Oblast ( rus, Вологодская область, p=vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Vologodskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center i ...

''Virgin with Child and Angels'' *

Jacopo del Sellaio Jacopo del Sellaio (1441/42–1493), was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active in his native Florence. His real name was Jacopo di Arcangelo. He worked in an eclectic style based on those of Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, and Domenico ...

''Saint Jerome in the desert'' * Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ''Eliezer and Rebecca'', ''The Agony in the Garden'' *

Lorenzo Veneziano Lorenzo Veneziano ('Lorenzo the Venetian') (active 1356–1372) was an important painter in Venice during the second half of the 14th century.John Richards. "Lorenzo Veneziano." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 1 ...

''Crucifixion'' *

David Vinckeboons David Vinckboons (baptized 13 August 1576 – c.1632 ) was a Dutch Golden Age painter born in Mechelen, Southern Netherlands. Vinckboons, whose name is often spelled as Vingboons, Vinghboons, Vinckebonis or Vinckboom, had at least ten chil ...

''Wine Harvest''

17th-20th century

Ivan Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (russian: link=no, Иван Константинович Айвазовский; 29 July 18172 May 1900) was a Russian Romantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters of marine art. Baptized ...

''Burning of the Turkish flagship'' *

Pieter Aertsen Pieter Aertsen (1508 – 2 June 1575), called ''Lange Piet'' ("Tall Pete") because of his height, was a Dutch painter in the style of Northern Mannerism. He is credited with the invention of the monumental genre scene, which combines still life ...

Jacob Beschey Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

''Moses Drawing Water from the Rock'' * Braque * Antoine Bourdelle *

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

* Raffaello Ceccoli * Cecco del Caravaggio ''Youth with musical instruments'' *

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...

''Mounted Greek Warrior'' *

Henri Fantin-Latour Henri Fantin-Latour (14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers. Biography He was born Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-La ...

''Still Life'' * Jacques Linard ''Still Life'' * Claude Lorrain * Albert Marquet *

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

Willem van Mieris Willem van Mieris (3 June 166226 January 1747) was an 18th-century painter from the Northern Netherlands. Biography Willem van Mieris was a painter, sculptor and etcher active in Leiden. He was born in Leiden and studied under his father Fran ...

''Lady with the Parrot'' * Piet Mondrian ''Landscape with a mill'' * Antony Francis van der Meulen * Francesco Pize *

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

''Composition'' * Piranesi *

Francis Picabia Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, poet and typographist. After experimenting with Impressionism and Pointillism, Picabia became associated with Cubism ...

* Rembrandt * Auguste Rodin *

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

''The Feast of the Epiphany'', ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' *

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous pain ...

Greek artists

Ioannis Altamouras Ioannis Altamouras ( Greek: Ιωάννης Αλταμούρας) (1852, in Florence or Naples – 1878, in Spetses) was a Greek painter of the 19th century famous for his paintings of seascapes.George Bouzianis George Bouzianis ( el, Γιώργος Μπουζιάνης; german: Jorgos Busianis; November 8, 1885 – October 23, 1959) was a major Greek expressionist painter. Biography He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts with teachers ...

Leonidas Drosis Leonidas Drosis ( el, Λεωνίδας Δρόσης; (1834/1836/1843 - 1882)) was a Greek neoclassical sculptor of the 19th century. Born in Nafplion, to a German father named Von Dorsch and a Greek mother named Meksi, however he took the su ...

Nikos Engonopoulos Nikos Egonopoulos ( el, Νίκος Εγγονόπουλος; October 21, 1907 – October 31, 1985) was a Greek painter and poet. He is one of the most important members of "Generation of the '30s",Eleni Kefala''Peripheral (Post) Modernity'' ...

Demetrios Farmakopoulos Demetrios Farmakopoulos, (''Δημήτριος Φαρμακόπουλος''),(1919–1996), also known as Mimis Farmakopoulos. An influential Greek painter whose main recurring theme is space and the future. Introduction Born in Athens, in 1919 ...

* Alekos Fassianos * Lazaros Fytalis *

Nikolaus Gysis Nikolaos Gyzis ( el, Νικόλαος Γύζης ; german: Nikolaus Gysis; 1 March 1842 – 4 January 1901) was considered one of Greece's most important 19th century painters. He was most famous for his work '' Eros and the Painter'', his first ...

Demetrios Galanis Demetrios Galanis ( el, Δημήτριος Γαλάνης, 17 May 1879, Athens – 20 March 1966, Paris) was an early twentieth-century Greece, Greek artist and friend of Picasso. In 1920, the year he completed his ''Seated Nude'' (private coll ...

* Theophilos Hatzimihail *

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas (; February 26, 1906 – September 3, 1994), also known as Niko Ghika, was a leading Greek painter, sculptor, engraver, writer and academic. He was a founding member of the Association of Greek Art Critics, AICA-Hellas, ...

Nikos Kessanlis Nikos ( el, Νίκος, ''Níkos'') is a Greek given name. It originates from Greek ''Nikolaos'', which means "victory of the people".Liddell & Scott, Abridged Greek Lexicon Although used as a proper first name, Nikos is also a popular nickname of t ...

Ioannis Kossos Ioannis Kossos ( el, Ιωάννης Κόσσος; 1822–1875) was a Greek sculptor of the 19th century. Born in Tripoli, he later studied in Athens and Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city ...

* Nikiphoros Lytras * Polychronis Lempesis *

Konstantinos Maleas Konstantinos Maleas (Κωνσταντίνος Μαλέας) (Constantinople, 1879 - Athens, 1928) was one of the most important Post-impressionist Greek painters of the 20th century. Along with Konstantinos Parthenis, he is sometimes considered Gr ...

Yannis Moralis Yiannis Moralis ( el, Γιάννης Μόραλης; also transliterated Yannis Moralis or Giannis Moralis; 23 April 1916 – 20 December 2009) was an important Greek visual artist and part of the so-called "Generation of the '30s". Life B ...

Dimitris Mytaras Dimitris Mytaras ( el, Δημήτρης Μυταράς; 18 June 1934 – 16 February 2017) was a Greek artist who is considered one of the important Greek painters of the 20th century.

* Theocharis Mores *

Nikos Nikolaou Nikos Nikolaou ( el, Νίκος Νικολάου) (1909–1986) was a major figure in Greek art during the 20th century. In 1929 Nikolaou was admitted into the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he studied under Konstantinos Parthenis and Umberto ...

Pericles Pantazis Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelop ...

Andreas Pavias Andreas Pavias ( el, Ανδρέας Παβίας 1440-1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator. He was one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School, and his works influenced countless artists both Italian and Greek; paintings by Pavias co ...

Konstantinos Parthenis Konstantinos Parthenis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Παρθένης; 10 May 1878 – 25 July 1967) was a distinguished Greek- Egyptian painter, born in Alexandria. Parthenis broke with the Greek academic tradition of the 19th century and in ...

Yiannis Psychopedis Υiannis Psychopedis ( el, Γιάννης Ψυχοπαίδης ; born 1945) is one of the main Greek exponents of artistic Critical Realism, an art movement that developed in Europe after the political and social upheavals of 1968. The May ...

Georgios Roilos Georgios Roilos ( el, Γεώργιος Ροϊλός; 1867 – 28 August 1928) was one of the most important and influential Greek painters of the late 19th-early 20th century. He belonged to the so-called "Munich School". His major works include h ...

* Lucas Samaras *

Theodoros Stamos Theodoros Stamos (Greek: Θεόδωρος Στάμος) (December 31, 1922 – February 2, 1997) was a Greek-American painter. He is one of the youngest painters of the original group of abstract expressionist painters (the so-called " Iras ...

Panayiotis Tetsis Panayiotis Tetsis (Greek: Παναγιώτης Τέτσης; 1925 – 5 March 2016) was a Greek painter. Tetsis was an exponent of the post-impressionistic seascape tradition. Life and work Born in 1925 on the island of Hydra, where he spen ...

* Epameinondas Thomopoulos *

Yannis Tsarouchis Yannis Tsarouchis ( el, Γιάννης Τσαρούχης; 13 January 1910 – 20 July 1989) was a Greek modernist painter and set designer who achieved international fame, and was "known in particular for his homoerotic subjects," including so ...

* Kostas Tsoklis *

Stephanos Tzangarolas Stephanos Tzangarolas ( el, Στέφανος Τζαγκαρόλας, 1660-1675 – 1710) also known as Stephano Tzangarola. He was a Greek painter during the late Cretan Renaissance. He migrated from Crete to the island of Corfu. He is a me ...

Theodoros Vryzakis Theodoros Vryzakis ( el, Θεόδωρος Βρυζάκης; 1819–1878) was a Greek painter, known mostly for his historical scenes. He was one of the founders of the "Munich School", composed of Greek artists who had studied in that city. Biog ...

* Spyros Vassiliou *

Konstantinos Volanakis Konstantinos Volanakis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Βολανάκης; 1837 - 29 June 1907) was a Greek painter who became known as the "father of Greek seascape painting". Biography Volanakis was born at Heraklion on Crete, to parents wh ...

* Odysseas Phokas

Facts

Approximately four million people have visited the National Gallery in the last fourteen years. Its exhibition activity is mainly supported by sponsorships that cover up to half of its budget. The National Gallery has opened the last years branches in

Nafplion Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

and Corfu.

Visitor information

The gallery is situated on

Vassilissis Sofias Avenue Vasilissis Sofias Avenue () is a major avenue in the east side of Athens, the Greek capital. The avenue was originally part of the Kifisias Avenue. The part from Syntagma Square to the intersection with Alexandras Avenue was renamed after Qu ...

, opposite the

Hilton Athens The Hilton Athens was a hotel in Athens, Greece. Opened in 1963, it closed for renovations in January 2022 and will reopen in 2024. It is on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, within the Hilton Area, adjacent to the Kolonaki and Pangrati neighbourhoods ...

district. It can be reached with the

Athens Metro The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrif ...

at the

Evangelismos station Evangelismos ( el, Ευαγγελισμός, ) is a metro station located on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. It is in Evangelismos area, close to Evangelismos Hospital, the National Gallery of Athens, the Athens War Museum, the Byzantine & Christian ...

. It had been closed since March 2013 due to expansion works and reopened in March 2021. The National Glyptotheque is situated at the "Alsos Stratou" (Military Park) in

Goudi Goudi (, since 2006; formerly Γουδί ) is a residential neighbourhood of Athens, Greece, on the eastern part of town and on the foothills of Mount Hymettus. History The name of the area derives from the 19th century Goudi (Γουδή) famil ...

, near Kanellopoulou Avenue and can be reached with the

at the Katehaki station.

Gallery

File:El Greco 03.jpg, '' The Entombment of Christ'' by El Greco File:Pieter Aertsen - Portrait of Simon Marten Dircsz.jpg, '' Portrait of Simon Marten Dircsz'' by

Image:Lk06m030.jpg, ''Eliezer and Rebecca'' by

Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

Image:Gyzis 006 (Ηistoria).jpeg, ''Ηistoria'' (Allegory of History) by Nikolaos Gyzis (1892) File:Fytalissepherd.jpg, ''Sepherd with baby goat'' by Lazaros Fytalis Image:Antoine Bourdelle Centaure.jpg, ''Dying Centaur'' by Antoine Bourdelle (1914) File:Penelopedrosis.jpg, ''Penelope'', sculpture by

References

External links

National Gallery of Athens Official website
{{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Greece National museums of Greece Museums in Athens Art museums established in 1878 1878 establishments in Greece